Guide to restaurant tipping

Tableside service is one of the benefits to dining out. Dining out can be a welcome change from preparing meals at home, and diners love that, once the meal is finished, someone else is there to clean everything up.

Leaving gratuities for exemplary restaurant service may not be mandatory. However, in many areas of the world, proper dining etiquette suggests diners should tip their servers when paying for the meal. Many restaurant employees count on tips to supplement their salaries, and servers may even be paid below-average wages because tips are factored into their earnings.

Diners routinely struggle when leaving a gratuity. Tipping, because of the money involved, also can cause heated debates. Various experts have weighed in to help customers determine the right way to proceed with tipping. This tipping guide helps clarify when and how to tip.

Etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute concur that 15 to 20 percent is the standard rule of thumb when tipping at a sit-down dining establishment. If the restaurant is buffet-style, a 10 percent tip may be adequate. Many people leave a 20 percent tip when dining out. That has become the norm for good service. Poor service may not be worthy of such a substantial tip.

When alcoholic beverages are part of the meal, some diners prefer to tip separately. That's because restaurants may implement a heavy markup on wine or cocktail prices. Tipping based on the bill pre-tax can be expensive. The safe recommendation is 10 to 15 percent. Those who sit at the bar before retiring to a table should offer 15 to 20 percent of the tab to the bartender; or, $1 for beer or wine, $2 for mixed drinks. iTipping.com suggests paying your bar tab before leaving for your table.

Although it can be tempting to refrain from tipping when service is poor, this isn't always the wisest idea. That's because some restaurants employ a shift system in which all of given shift's gratuities enter a pool and are divided by a point system. Otherwise, each individual server is responsible for tipping his or her support staff, which includes a busser, a runner, a back waiter, and/or a bartender. Rather than punish the whole lot, reduce the tip and then discuss your misgivings with the restaurant manager.

Diners should know that gratuities are typically included in the bill for larger parties. Restaurants generally add an 18 percent gratuity to the bill. Restaurants put this in place to safeguard their staff. This gratuity should be mentioned on the bill or on the menu. If the service was excellent, diners may want to tip on top of the included gratuity.

Diners who have gone over budget should not compensate by reducing the tip. Diners who cannot afford to tip should not dine out.